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Monday, 19 November 2018

The Calcutta Canteen Pop-up All Day Indian Cafe off Carnaby Street

Darjeeling Express' Asma Khan is opening a second site as a pop-up just off Carnaby Street, under the name Calcutta Canteen. It will open as a 3 month pop-up on 28th November at 74 Broadwick Street, as an all-day cafe serving Pau buns, a bread roll similar to a brioche bun, stuffed with four kinds of fillings, cakes from Tarunima Sinha of My Little Cake Tin, and lots of teas, like masala chai. Really looking forward to this one!

"Just before she appears on Netflix's Chef's Table, Darjeeling Express' Asma Khan has a new venture on the way. This time it's a North Indian and Bengali-inspired all-day café, appearing in Carnaby until mid-February. It first made an appearance in Fulham Market Halls' original line-up. On the cafe menu will be Pau buns, a bread roll similar to a brioche bun, stuffed with four kinds of fillings. They will be: vegan potato, cashew nut and curry leaves, vegetarian beetroot chop, masala omelette and beef mince, all served with green chilli, coriander chutney and tomato relish. We're told those buns date back to the 16th century when the Portuguese settled in Bengal and Goa and began baking bread. Being a cafe, the cakes are equally important, so Asma has partnered with self-taught baker Tarunima Sinha of My Little Cake Tin for her cakes. They'll celebrate her Indian heritage with masala chai flavoured bundt cake, Indian spiced shortbread cookies and pistachio biscuits.As for drinks, the famed masala chai will be making an appearance, as will non-alcohol apple cider and tea from her ancestral tea garden in India, run by her aunt ("started by my great-great-grandfather in 1884 - one of 32 tea gardens he established"). On top of that, there will be a community wall where women can feature seasonal food and more."